Sodor
The Sodor & Mainland Railway (abbreviated as S&MR) was the first standard gauge railway built on the Island of Sodor. Despite its name, it never reached the Mainland and was a financial disaster. It was absorbed into the North Western Railway in 1914. History The Sodor & Mainland was first promoted in 1850 and was projected to link Barrow-in-Furness with Suddery, the ancient capital of Sodor. There was plenty of local enthusiasm, but little intrest in the service on the Mainland. The railway canvassed support from local investors, promising those from Peel Godred that they'd build a branch line north from Cronk to the town. The railway received its Act of Parliament in 1853, allowing construction to proceed, with a single line track being laid between Ballahoo and Rolf's Castle. Many of the S&M's staff originally came from Ireland or Scotland. In 1865, the S&M extended from Rolf's Castle to the harbour town of Kirk Ronan. They hoped to start a steamer service from Kirk Ronan to Dublin. This project failed, but the Skarloey Railway started operating the same year. The two railway's connected at Crovan's Gate, and the S&M was responsible for delivering its two original locomotives. The Crovan's Gate Mining Company used Kirk Ronan extensively for the shipment of ore, which would be delivered to the harbour by the S&M. The railway, ultimately, proved to be ambitious, but ill-fated and the Company's high hopes were disappointed. Their tunnel through the Ballahoo Ridge collapsed, preventing the railway from connecting with Vicarstown, and their attempts to erect a bridge across the Walney Channel faired no better. The Admiralty was obstructive about the proposed low-level bridge across the straits from the start. When permission was finally obtained, attempts at construction was dogged with difficulties. First, foundations were washed away by the tide, then part of one of the spans was lost when cranes broke while hoisting it into position, and eventually the almost completed bridge was wrecked by a gale. Following the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879, further bridge-building attempts were indefinitely shelved, and all subsequent proposals were baulked by the Admiralty. Due to these severe setbacks, trains only ended up running between Kirk Ronan and Ballahoo, and by 1870 the company was already teetering on the verge bankruptcy. By this point, the people of Peel Godred had realised that their promised branch line would never be built, and came to conclusion that they must build it themselves. They initially favoured a line built on the route proposed by the S&M, but as it would have involved a junction somewhere with the S&M, most felt that to embark on such a project would be the height of imprudence. They opted to look elsewhere, which led to the formation of the Mid Sodor Railway in 1872. Bankruptcy finally came in 1901, and the last of its locomotion were scrapped that year, bringing services to an end, but the company remained in being. Route Rolling Stock Locomotives Trivia Category:Railways Category:Sodor & Mainland Railway